USS George Washington refueling delayed, but funding looks good

Back in March, the Pentagon said it wanted a stronger signal from Congress on refueling the aircraft carrier USS George Washington. If not, the Navy would move to retire the ship.

Based on what happened Tuesday, consider the signal sent, Virginia's two senators said.

A Senate panel set aside $848 million in the 2015 defense budget bill so Newport News Shipbuilding can proceed with the project, which will eventually mean billions of dollars in shipyard work and thousands of sailors coming to downtown Newport News. The implications go further: More than 680 contractors in 39 states, including companies in Hampton Roads, can work on a carrier refueling, according to the Aircraft Carrier Industrial Base Coalition.

The House of Representatives has already approved funding. The full Senate Appropriations Committee now will consider the budget measure on Thursday. Passage is expected.

But this lengthy debate has cost time: The refueling was expected to begin in September 2016. Start of work is now planned for March 2017, pending approval of future years funding, according a statement Tuesday from Naval Sea Systems Command. The work on Washington is expected to last 44 months and cost $4.7 billion, NAVSEA said.

That could cause headaches down the road for the Newport News shipyard, which plans carrier refuelings on a "heel to toe" schedule: When one finishes, another comes in to take its place. After Washington, the shipyard is scheduled to refuel the USS John C. Stennis. It wasn't clear Tuesday whether this would affect work on the Stennis.

The Washington's future has been cloudy since March, when the Defense Department rolled out its 2015 budget. Navy leaders said they wanted to keep the George Washington in the fleet, but they would propose removing it from service if deep budget cuts returned in 2016.

That sparked a protest from the Virginia congressional delegation and concern from officials at Newport News shipyard. Neither Sen. Tim Kaine nor Sen. Mark R. Warner was ready to declare a final victory Tuesday, but both expressed confidence that the project will get back on track.

"It ain't over 'til it's over, but this is excellent news for Hampton Roads and Virginia," Warner said

Kaine said all key committees in the House and Senate have now endorsed the project.

"The legislature has just sent the executive branch the clearest signal possible," he said.

Tuesday's signal came courtesy of Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., who is chairman of the Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee. He spoke of the importance of keeping the George Washington in the fleet, not only because of national security, but because it preserved work for defense contractors.

Durbin, who has toured Newport News Shipbuilding at Kaine's invitation, said the U.S. must have a "thoughtful continuance" of production of ships, tanks and aircraft in the post-9/11 era. If not, skilled defense workers will seek other jobs.

In a floor speech Tuesday, he said, "As we withdraw from these two wars, what will happen to these men and women? Will they disappear into the work force? If they do, recreating their ability to build and defend the United States isn't easy, and it's more expensive."

The Navy has been edging toward freeing up the money in the past weeks, as momentum has built in Congress. Last week, Assistant Secretary of the Navy Sean Stackley said the service was "making every effort" to re-budget funds for the refueling, known formally as a Refueling and Complex Overhaul, or RCOH.

The $848 million falls well short of the projected total $4.7 billion cost. However, both Warner and Kaine said it would be difficult for the Navy to cease work on such a large project once it started.

"There will be money needed in fiscal years '16 and '17," Kaine said. "But if you spend this much money, ($848 million) you're not going to stop the refueling in midstream."

Warner said Congress still needs to strike a comprehensive budget deal so those deep, automatic spending cuts under sequestration don't return.

"I think we always need to guard against the stupidity of sequestration," he said.

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